north dakota mason - december 2014
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MASON DAKOTA NORTH
Celebrating 125 years of Freemasonry in North Dakota. December 2014 — Volume 104, No. 3 — www.ndmasons.org
Holiday Greetings from the Grand Master
Christmas and the
Holidays Season are upon us and I
wish the very best for you and
yours during this special time of
the year. Now and the Easter
season are times for reflection on
God and mankind’s relationship to
God for many faiths. Of course,
Christmas and Easter have strong
meaning for those of us Masons
who happen to be Christian, and
we also have ties of fellowship
beyond those of our beliefs. The
strength of our faith enables us to
value as Masonic Brothers men of
all faiths without feeling insecure
or diminished in ours. And, we
also know that fellow Masons are
like-minded and secure both in
their beliefs and feelings of
fellowship with us.
Our lives are very busy at
this time of the year with pressures
from end-of-year work, concerns
for loved ones, holiday
preparations, parties, school and
church programs, travel and
recreation. In spite of this activity,
much of humanity strives for a
brief time to follow our Masonic
tenants of Brotherly Love, Relief
and Truth, and it is always a joy to
sense this striving for goodness
around us amid these hectic days.
When you notice this spirit of
Christmas, please think of God if
only for a moment. Yes, there are
times set aside in our lives for
worship and contemplation, but a
great churchman once said that a
simple thought of God at such
times is often the best prayer of
thanks.
Have a Merry Christmas
and a Happy New Year.
Yours in the Mystic Tie,
Dave Bickel
Grand Master
I have three main agenda items for us
in 2014-15. One concerns the Grand Lodge of
North Dakota and the other two are for every
North Dakota Mason. They are: 1) to have
greater continuity in Grand Lodge operations
and programs, 2) for all of us to better
understand and promote the guiding
principles, or tenants, of Freemasonry,
Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth, and 3) to
utilize Life-Long Mentoring as the best way
to exemplify our tenants, or to really be what
our reputation says we are as Freemasons. I
have no great membership drives, building
projects or benevolent activities in the list. It
is a simple “back to the basics” program. If
these three tasks are undertaken by all of us,
they will be more challenging work than any
of the plans proposed in some time. And if
successful, they may help to strengthen North
Dakota Masonry.
Greater continuity in Grand Lodge – The elected officers of the Grand Lodge, the
Grand Master, Deputy Grand Master, Grand
Wardens and the Chairmen of elected
Committees need to develop 2-year and 5-
year plans for Grand Lodge that are
coordinated between and agreed to by the
elected committees and Grand Line officers.
This will provide for multiyear projects and
organized direction for most Grand Lodge
responsibilities. Grand Masters will still be
free to devise their own emphasis for their
year of leadership while a larger plan for
Grand Lodge continues to be followed. Many
Masonic jurisdictions have a requirement that
their Grand Lodge officers develop and
adhere to such long-range plans. North
Dakota needs the same. I and other officers
began to work in this direction a few years
ago and the effort must be continued and
encouraged by everyone in the Craft.
Understanding and exemplifying of
Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth – These Tenants are all we have to offer a man.
They are our stock in trade if you wish. Many
other organizations emphasize one or two of
these attributes for members, but the balanced
and ancient mix of them within the strong
bonds of Freemasonry is almost unique. Each
of us needs to know what these words mean to
us, so we can explain the meaning of Masonry
to others. The “Dark Ages” of low interest in
Masonry that spanned the past several decades
are over and more men are showing interest in
Freemasonry because of what we are and
what we do rather than for some other reason.
Most of these men research Freemasonry on
the Internet before joining. They expect as
potential members to talk with Masons who
know its meaning. The Internet says we are an
international band of brothers, dedicated to
benevolent acts including making the world
better through how we conduct our lives, and
who support each other in search of personal
enlightenment. This is the reputation that must
be reflected in our Lodges. We tend to
emphasize Relief strongly through many
charitable Lodge activities, but we also need
more emphasis on Brotherly Love through the
fellowship of fun activities. Also, we need
more emphasis on supporting one another in
the quest for personal enlightenment.
Thought, philosophy and ideas won’t scare
away this new generation of information-
savvy Masons. Intellectual discussion in a
friendly, party-like atmosphere was why our
18th Century Brothers often traveled on long,
difficult journeys to be with fellow
Freemasons. This is one sense of the term,
traveling men.
Life-Long Mentoring – Mentoring is more than coaching new Masons
through degree proficiencies or getting new
(Continued on page 2)
The Grand Master’s Program
Mark Your Calendar and plan to attend the next Annual Communication to be
held in Bismarck, June 12& 13, 2015. Details of the event will be on the
website and in the Spring issue of the ND Mason.
Masons to attend Lodge a few times. A
mentor is defined as a trusted guide and
counselor. Mentoring begins when we first
interest a man in becoming a Mason. Life-
Long Mentoring is being a friend, helper and
confidant throughout your lives to a Brother
Mason or to another Lodge of Masons. We
are the world’s largest support group.
Sustained effort is needed by Lodges to be
sure every member has throughout his
Masonic life one or more buddies, or mentors,
to stay in contact with him and help him to
stay linked to his band of Brothers. Retention
concerns will largely disappear if we do this.
Material aids include making sure every
Lodge member has a directory with the
contact information for his Brothers. Bulletin
boards (paper and tacks or digital) with photos
and updates from all members and routine
updates in Lodge about absent brothers
(happy news, not just sickness and distress)
can be effective ties. Trestle Board
newsletters and periodic phone calls are also
ways to keep members a part of the Lodge’s
activities with a human voice still serving
better than the written word. These are a few
of many ways to keep members linked to the
Lodge and meetings more interesting. We
often make special effort to see that new
Masons don’t feel left out of Lodge activities.
We need that same concern for 5, 25 and 50
year Masons. The Golden Rule is the guide
for Life-Long Mentoring – treat others as you
would hope to be treated. The Craft will be
living up to its reputation when we all do a
better job of Life-Long Mentoring.
(Continued from page 1)
Support Masonic Charities.
NORTH DAKOTA
GRAND LODGE
OFFICERS
Grand Master
M.W. David Bickel
Deputy Grand Master
R.W. Tony Telken
Senior Grand Warden
R.W. Roger Stout
Junior Grand Warden
R.W. Mark Williamson
Grand Secretary/Treasurer
M.W. Curtiss Mundahl, PGM
Senior Grand Deacon
W. Adam Fedler
Junior Grand Deacon
W. Kirk Anderson
Deputy Grand Master Report—Tony Telken
First Quarterly Meeting of 2014
My
Brothers, it is
a great
pleasure to be
serving as
your Deputy
Grand master!
I have had
some great
travels this
last quarter.
Supporting
KEM Shrine’s
Dale Stauss as
he was elected
and installed
as Imperial
Potentate in Minneapolis and the Midwest
Conference of Grand Lodges in Madison,
Wisconsin were highlights.
Brothers, hopefully you remember 2976.
2976 is the number we talked about during our
Masonic festivals last year as we celebrated
the 125th anniversary of Masonry in North
Dakota. It is the number we resolved to be the
line in the sand for our membership decline at
our last Grand Communication. It is the
number of North Dakota Masons at the end of
calendar year 2012. We ended calendar year
2013 with 2933. As we have started to spread
the word how to approach good men to gauge
their interest in Masonry, we now have to look
within our walls and keep the Masons that we
have, and have had, in the recent past.
What I am talking about Brothers, is re-
instatement and retention. We have lost 402
Masons to non-payment of dues in the last
three years. These Brothers were obviously
good men, as we initiated them into the
Fraternity. What happened? If we had been
able to retain even half of them, we would
have well over 3000 members. A number we
haven’t seen in years. In my travels this year, I
will be asking what you are doing to keep the
members in your individual Lodges and
sharing some ideas that have worked in other
Lodges, Grand Lodges and other Masonic
organizations.
Currently, there are 106 new Master
Masons raised in calendar year 2014. An
average number is 140 and usually this time of
year is more active. We are on the right track!
We are the future of Masonry in North Dakota!
We need to spread the cement of Brotherly
relief and truth to make our communities,
state, and country a better place to live for
ourselves and our descendants. It is more
difficult to make that happen when our
numbers continue to decline.
Ask good men to become Masons and
keep the good men that are already Masons
active in your Lodge and community. Our
future is bright Brothers!
Schedule your Lodge’s Grand Master Visitation
as soon as possible as slots are filling up.
Please call Grand Master Dave Bickel directly at
701-400-9111, or contact him by email at
We are a trio of Master Masons living in the Bakken region of North Dakota trying to further ourselves in Freemasonry and help our brothers in the Bakken
connect with fellow Freemasons. As society changes, we feel the tenets of Freemasonry are still as important today and they have ever been. It is our hope to continue carrying the message to fellow worthy men (and women, in the case of Eastern Star) in our area and to the world. So each week, we bring our learning and opinions to topics we feel should be addressed.
Some of the topics include: What is Freemasonry (to ourselves and as
we see how society views us)
What is pressing in modern Freemasonry
History and lore of Freemasonry
Interviews with prominent individuals in Freemasonry
Appendant Body topics such as Shrine, York Rite, Scottish Rite, and more!
And what is pressing to our listeners!
You can find our website and subscribe to our entire podcast or just listen to individual episodes at: http://www.bakkenmansons.com, find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/bakkenmasons, or on iTunes at http://www.bakkenmasons.com/itunes.
We invite you to check out an episode. You are also welcome to join in on the conversation by email, voicemail, the forums on our website, or on social media and include the hashtag #bakkenmasons.
Freemasonry in the Bakken
www.ndmasons.com
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For podcast listeners, podcasts are a way
to enjoy great content from around the world
for free. For podcast publishers, podcasts are a
great way to reach a wide audience.
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Masons Make History at Ft. Buford
The Master Mason Degree was recently
conducted at Ft. Buford by travelling Masons.
Masons from West Gate, Star in the West, and
Mt. Moriah Lodges came together to conduct
this historic degree work as Brother Gabriel
Chandler was raised to the Sublime Degree of
Master Mason. Brother Chandler was the first
Brother to complete all three degrees on the
site in more than one hundred years!
There was more to the day’s events than
degree work as the entire day was filled with
Masonic fellowship. Beginning the day,
many of the brothers gathered to enjoy a
pheasant hunt, and after all the birds were
cared for and hunting equipment stowed
away, the degree work began. And of course
there was time for lunch so, stories of shotgun
shells with no loads, and stories of making
holes in the air as the elusive feathered prey
flew away, as
everyone relaxed.
Meeting, sharing,
and visiting with
good men from other
Lodges is a great deal
of what Masonry is
all about. It is always
good to see brothers
from various lodges
come together to
promote Masonry.
Make sure you check
the North Dakota
Grand Lodge website
often to learn of
Masonic events
planned in your
area of the state.
Participating in Ft. Buford degree work were, left to right: Rick Whiteman,
Nicholas Clum, Bruce Krabseth, DDGM, Merle Halverson, Gabriel Chandler,
Gregory Gunderson, Don Akins, Larry Torres, Jim Stokke, PGM, and,
Jameson Lee.
(Photo courtesy of Adam Fedler, SGD)
Masonic Charities
Masonic charities are fully supported by
donations from members of Masonic
organizations, local area residents and
businesses, with an occasional donation from
an out of state foundation. For a donor to
“write off” the donation, the recipient charity
must be organized under IRS Regulation, 501
(c)(3). For example, the ND Masonic
Foundation as well as the Scottish Rite
Speech Therapy Centers in Bismarck and
Fargo are 501 (c) (3) charities. As such,
donations to these charities are deductible on
federal income tax filings to the extent
allowed by law.
Most frequently, donors prefer direct cash
donations but there are other methods to
support these, and other Masonic charities.
For example, people can donate
appreciated value shares of stock that can help
both the donor and the charity. Presume that
you purchased or were given shares of stock
in a company and those shares of stock, at that
time, were worth $10 a share. Today, those
shares of stock are worth $50 each, showing a
capital gain of $40 on each share you own.
If you sell those shares of stock in the
market, you would be subject to capital gains/
income taxes on the increased value.
However, if those shares are instead donated
to the Center they would be valued at the
current market price giving the donor a
deduction against income and thus a savings
in income/capital gains taxes due. Further, if
a person is in advanced years and concerned
about potential estate taxes that could be due,
reduction of stock holdings could be
beneficial to the donor’s estate and heirs.
Should a person so choose, they can also
donate real estate interests such as farm land,
homes, producing mineral interests and other
income generating property, to the charity and
receive a tax break for the current,
appreciated, value of the donated property.
Yes, IRS donation rules and regulations
are confusing, complex and, change
frequently. You should not take comments in
this newsletter as professional advice in estate
planning or for making your personal
donation. Rather, you should visit with your
attorney, your tax professional, your
investment advisor and others who deal with
these issues on a daily basis to gain advice on
how to plan your estate and how to make
donations that will benefit you as well as the
charity you support.
But, please keep the
your favorite Masonic
Charity in mind when you
consider supporting a well-
established local charity.
This space reserved for news and photos about
happenings in your Lodge.
Please send your photos as pdf documents and a story
about what is going on in the photo, in Word format,
to the following email address:
The deadline for news item submission
for the next issue of ND Mason is April 10, 2015,
What is a podcast?*
Support Masonic Charities.
The Fear of a Lodge Fire
Masons have been active in Dakota
Territory and in North Dakota for more than
125 years, and as such, there are many
historical items stored in the various Masonic
buildings around the state. And, how terrible
it would be if those treasures were to be lost!
Grand Forks area Masons recently had a
scare when smoke was reported coming out
the windows of the nearly 100-year-old
historic, and beautiful Grand Forks Masonic
Center the morning of October 2. According
to a news report in the Grand Forks Herald, no
one was in the building at the time the fire
was reported, and the fire is being investigated
as arson.
DGM Tony Telkin provided the
following report to the ND Mason:
There was a fire at the Grand Forks
Masonic Center on 10/2/2014. The Grand
Forks Fire Department arrived at
approximately 6:00am and had the fire out
with minimal water. The fire was reported by
residents of the neighboring Northlands
Rescue Mission. We certainly thank them for
their attentiveness and tremendous sense of
civic duty.
The fire has been labeled arson. An
investigation is ongoing. There is no apparent
reason. The fire started in the KEM Shrine
office. There were no signs of forced entry
into the building. It is assumed that the
arsonist entered the building during the
previous evenings event and hid in the
building overnight. The Shrine office was
broken into using tools taken from the area in
the basement where a new boiler was being
installed.
Estimates for repair and cleaning are still
being gathered. Fire damage was limited to
the Shrine office, but smoke damage is
apparent through the entire building. Total
estimates for repair and cleanup are suspected
to be between $300,000 and
$500,000. Negotiations on some items are
still happening with the insurance company.
The basement and heating, ventilating, and
air conditioning have been cleaned. Most of
the main floor is now cleaned. The Shrine
office has been temporarily relocated and is
operational in the Maynard Morrison
Memorial room in the basement.
As with most major
disaster events, after
enduring the immediate
hardship, we will arise
through the ashes and be
better than ever.
Grand Lodge of North Dakota has display at Pioneer Days
By Curtiss Mundahl, Grand Secretary
On August 16 and 17, Bonanzaville, a
small pioneer village museum on the west
edge of West Fargo, held their 56th Annual
Pioneer Days.
Harlan Pratt, Grand Librarian and Grand
Lodge Museum Curator, set up a Freemason
display in the Main Museum on behalf of the
Grand Lodge’s 125th Anniversary in the State
of North Dakota.
His display consisted of special boards
that he had made by Jeff Grieger owner of J &
L Sports and also a member of East Gate
Lodge No. 120. One board had all the Past
Grand Masters of NDGL, a second board of
the Governors of North Dakota who belonged
to the Masonic Fraternity, and the third of the
Military Lodges that were formed during the
Spanish-American War and World War I.
Some of the other pictures on display
showed the Masonic Historical Sites
in North Dakota, Gilbert C. Grafton
in his Commandery Uniform and the
old Fargo Masonic Temple.
Some of the items on display
were a very beautiful punch bowl that
was used by the Order of Eastern Star
in the old Fargo Masonic Temple,
dishes found after the fire of the old
Fargo Masonic Temple in 1893 and
gavels from the first Military Lodge.
He also had Masonic brochures
that were available for those who
were interested.
It was a wonderful time to journey
through the village and observe the buildings
that were a part of the history of the
southeastern part of North Dakota. Many
activities were planned to add to the
celebration of our pioneers and we thank
Harlan for his work with the display to
showcase Freemasonry as a part of our ND
Heritage.
Masonic Fellowship Across the River
Minnesota Grand Master Brian Beerman planted the seed for the first Unity
Table Lodge following his visit to the International Peace Gardens in 2012.
During the long drive home from the Peace Gardens, that seed of unity started
sprouting and he came up with a plan.
Moorhead, MN Lodge # 126 was encouraged to plan and carry out a table
lodge with visiting Masons from North Dakota as well as other nearby Minnesota
lodges. Along with Area Deputy Ken Friese, the first Unity Table Lodge was
conducted with then ND GM Charlie Beeber and thirty other Masons attending.
The 2013 event hosted by Moorhead Lodge #126 had MN GM David Olson
and ND GM Wendel VanWechel attending along with thirty six fellow Masons.
The dinner was cooked and served by members of the Moorhead Lodge.
Continuing to grow, the 2014 Unity Table Lodge was again hosted by
Moorhead # 126, and for the first time, the meal was catered. MN GM James
Christiansen and ND GM David Bickel along with forty-one Masons from
Minnesota and North Dakota attended.
From Left: WM Jason Vollmer of Moorhead #126 welcoming all to the Unity
Table Lodge.
MN Grand Master James Christensen presenting remarks during the Table
Lodge.
ND Grand Master Dave Bickel thanking Moorhead #126 for hosting the
event and encouraging everyone to continue participating in the event.
www.ndmasons.com
Masons enjoy Masonic Island on Lake Metigoshe
By Curtiss Mundahl, Grand Secretary
As one
approached
the border
crossing and
the
International
Peace Garden
on Highway
281 & 5, the
new beautiful
sign on the
east side of
the road advertising the Masonic Auditorium
caught your attention.
It also advertised the International Peace
Garden Lodge that held its annual meeting on
the same day, August 9, 2014.
The sign was made possible by the
money that each Mason in North Dakota has
given to support the Masonic Auditorium.
After a nice noon luncheon at the
Masonic Auditorium, the Brother Masons and
guests met in the Burdick Center of the
International Peace Garden. It was the turn of
M.W. David Bickel, Grand Master of ND, and
North Dakota Grand Line Masons to be
responsible for the meeting. Those from ND
in attendance were the Grand Master; Curtiss
Mundahl, Grand Secretary-Treasurer; Brian
Burkett, PGM; Richard Lord, PGM; Gerald
Skogley, PGM; and Del Alvord, PGM.
For the program, Charles Dunlop,
member of Masonic Island Committee and
Rolla Lodge No. 66, gave an interesting
presentation on the Masonic Island.
It was a great day of fellowship with our
friends on both sides of the 49th parallel.
On Sunday, August 10, Rolla Lodge No.
66 hosted a picnic in the Lake Metigoshe
State Park.
Charles Dunlop brought his pontoon to
the site and gave rides to the Masonic Island
that was a short distance from the picnic site.
Everyone enjoyed the experience of seeing the
well groomed Island.
The Island has been used by the Masons
since the early 1900s and officially became
the property of the North Dakota Grand
Lodge in early 1930s.
L to R (Back Row): Robert Leonard, Ron Church, Dan Vollmer,
Brian Burkett, Ray Jensen, Allan Hadley
L to R ( Front Row): Del Alvord, Dave Bickel, Curtiss Mundahl
DDGM for District 6, Fran Ely, started sending an email
newsletter to various Lodges in the district and it is getting a good
reception. Brother Fran believes that communications are one of the
biggest challenges faced by Masons across the state, and he is doing
his part to change things.
If you would like more information, you can contact Fran by
email at [email protected] and he will answer your questions.
If you ask nicely, he may even add your name to the newsletter email
list.
Mandan Masonic Lodge #8
Pancake and Sausage Scholarship
Breakfast Held November 22
The Pancake and Sausage
breakfast originated sometime
in the late 1970s as a
fundraiser for the lodge and a
way to kick off the start of
Christmas shopping in the
Mandan area. The breakfast
was held in the Mandan
Masonic Lodge on First Street
Northwest until the building
was sold in 2000.
In the mid-1990s, the Lodge decided to use the breakfast as a
scholarship fundraiser and with the Hometown Grants available from
the North Dakota Masonic Foundation we were able to offer several
scholarships to graduating seniors from the Mandan and New Salem
High Schools.
After the sale of the building, we held the Pancake Breakfast at the
Mandan Moose Club for several years and then moved to the present
location of the Mandan Eagles Club on North Collins Avenue.
The past ten years we have been awarding four or more
scholarships in the amount of $500.00 to local graduating seniors from
Mandan and New Salem. We serve approximately 300 guests at the
breakfast and it is a great time for fellowship and working together.
With the kindness and generosity of Kem Temple, Roger Stout,
Senior Grand Warden, was invited to attend the Imperial Shrine
membership conference in Tampa, Florida. As well as bringing back
new membership development ideas to the Grand Lodge and North
Dakota Masons, Brother Stout also became a member of the Shrine
and Kem Temple.
Especially notable was that the fez presentation was made by
Imperial Potentate Dale Stauss, a long-time member of Kem Temple.
And, this is the first time a new Shriner had been created during a
membership conference.
Masonic Brotherhood
Pictured left to right – Kem Potentate In Waiting Bruce Krabseth,
SGW Roger Stout, and Imperial Potentate Dale Stauss.
Support Masonic Charities.
A one-day trip from Fargo
By Harlan Pratt, Grand Librarian
When working in the library one day I
came across an old document “History of
Soldiers Monument” typed on onion paper
however there was no picture or anything
attached to it that I could find. Hmmm? This
looks like an investigation trip so we got in
the car and found the Monument and took a
few pictures. I am aware of one other like
monument at Whitestone battle field
Southwest of Jamestown. There are a number
of graves in the area and of which there are
veterans of the Spanish American Ware – 1st
North Dakota Volunteers 1898. The 1st ND
Volunteers then became the ND National
Guard.
(Donated to the Masonic Library of Fargo,
N. Dak. By Miss Ekfie Freeman, at the
request of Major Dana Wright)
This soldiers’ monument is located in the
center of the Soldiers’ burial plot in Oakwood
cemetery, Lisbon, North Dakota, and faces
south. The money for the erection of the
monument was appropriated by the 1903
session of the State Legislature. The bill for
this appropriation was introduced by Major C.
W. Buttz of Buttzville, North Dakota. The
cost of the monument and the fixing up of the
grounds was $3500.
The plan for the monument was made by
Colonel J. W. Carroll who had been In
command of the Soldiers Home for many
years, and by Major J.C. Black a member of
the Board of Trustees of the Soldiers Hone at
Lisbon, and at one time chairman of this
board. Much credit for the erection and
planning of this monument is due Colonel
Carroll, who, after the initial plans were made
by himself and Major Black, assumed all
responsibility of seeing the plans through to
completion.
The statue of the man himself, does not
represent any one individual, but is a copy of
a similar statue on the Gettysburg Battle Field,
and represents a soldier sounding "Taps”. This
monument was erected in memory of the
Soldiers and Sailors of 1861-1865, and was
dedicated on Memorial Day of 1905 at the
regular Memorial Day services.
The base of the monument is of Barre
Vermont granite that rests on a solid concrete
base twelve feet square at the bottom, ten feet
square at the top, and six feet deep. The
overall height of monument is twenty-four
feet. The soldier, carved out of a solid block
of stone, is six feet nine inches tall and weighs
one ton. The base block alone weighs more
ten ton. Over time, this beautiful monument
has not settled an inch. The artists who carved
the statue of the soldier were the Quido
Brothers, Italian sculptors, of Westerly, Rhode
Island.
At the time of the erection of the
monument only seventeen soldiers were
burled in this plot but over time, there were
113 soldiers and sailors laid at rest here.
Several remains have been removed to other
places and the last recorded number shows
forty-eight are still in place. Eight others are
buried in the Catholic cemetery by choice.
The name of the first
man buried in this soldiers1
plot was Harrison D. Bristol,
an American, who was fifty-
two years of age at his
death. He was a member of
the 110th New York
Infantry.
HISTORY OF SOLDIERS’ MONUMENT
Lisbon, North Dakota
Look’n Goooood!
Bismarck’s Masonic Center, home to
Bismarck Lodge 5, Lewis and Clark Lodge 132,
OES, Rainbow, and Scottish Rite, recently had
an exterior facelift, and it is look’n goooood!
The Center received all new exterior cladding,
including stucco type accents with impressions
of the Square and Compass. Plans for later in the
year include the addition of two canopies.
Located at 1009 Basin Avenue, it is worth
stopping by and taking a look at a new method of updating an older structure. The
coffee pot is always on Wednesday mornings, beginning at 9:00 a.m., so plan your visit
for a Wednesday morning and enjoy some Masonic fellowship, and maybe even a
cookie or two.
This space reserved for news and photos about
happenings in your Lodge.
Please send your photos as pdf documents and a story
about what is going on in the photo, in Word format,
to the following email address:
The deadline for news item submission
for the next issue of ND Mason is April 10, 2015,
www.ndmasons.com
Leadership
By Adam
Fedler, SGD
We all
hear a lot
about
Leadership.
We talk
about what
makes a good
leader, what
a good leader
would do,
and, how a
good leader
would handle
a certain
situation. Leadership is not something a
person is born with, it is something that is
learned over time. I recently had the
opportunity to be involved in the Emerging
Leaders program put on by the Grand
Encampment of Knights Templar and I
wanted to share some of the things I learned.
So, what is a good leader? In the end isn’t
a good leader someone who can get others to
see the benefit in what he wants to do and
they help him to achieve that goal? I am sure
you all have many other things that you could
put in that are qualities of a good leader, but
how can each one of us become that leader?
My Brothers that is why I felt compelled to
write this article. We all have the qualities that
make good leaders --- we just need to find
what they are and work on areas we are
lacking.
One thing that was talked about doing
was a “peer 360 review”. Well, that’s what we
call it where I work. Here is how it works:
think about the leadership qualities you think
you have, then ask your Lodge Brothers what
they think your leadership qualities are. You
have to keep an open mind and be ready to
hear that you might not be doing as well as
you think. Don’t look at this as a bad thing.
We all know what areas we need to improve.
This is a really great way to get other’s
perspectives on how we are doing as a leader
and what areas we need to improve. We are
not perfect. Self-improvement should not be a
new term to Masons.
Another thing we need to consider when
in a leadership position is what types of
people are working with you. We are all
different, but different is good. Some will
come up with great ideas, but not be able to
make them happen. Others will not have too
many ideas, but will be the shining star in
completing the task. It is our job as leaders to
recognize these people and assign duties to
those that are able. For example, if you are
looking for someone to chair a committee,
make sure you believe the person you select is
capable of completing the task. The wrong
person will not complete the necessary task,
and may feel frustrated in his inability to
finish what was asked.
Now some might think, “I am not a
Warden or Master of my Lodge, therefore I
am not a leader.” That is not true. We are all
leaders. Yes, the Master is the Leader of the
Lodge, but every new Entered Apprentice is
watching every other Mason in the room. He
will be looking at you as a leader, whether or
not you are an Officer. We all need to
recognize our own leadership qualities and
work on areas that we are lacking.
I would task all my Lodge Brothers to
take a look at the types of leaders they are and
look for ways to improve their leadership
skills. Sometimes a self-examination is
difficult, but the rewards are great my
Brothers.
Don Bode .......................... May 13, 2014 ................ Goose River Lodge # 19
Phillip Miller ..................... June 28, 2014 ................ Cando Lodge # 40
John D. Wall ...................... July 18, 2014 ................. Wahpeton Lodge # 15
Kenneth L. Harris .............. July 19, 2014 ................. Mt. Moriah Lodge # 51
Terry Gartner ..................... August 4, 2014 .............. Sunrise Lodge # 130
Larry M. Kleveland ........... August 5, 2014 .............. Goose River Lodge # 19
Claremont O. Hagen ......... August 14, 2014 ............ Star In The West Lodge # 33
Wayne C. Clingman .......... August 26, 2014 ............ Portal Lodge # 84
Joseph B. Humphrey ......... September 13, 2014 ...... Hillsboro Lodge # 10
Ralph C. McLeod .............. October 11, 2014........... Cando Lodge # 40
Miles Lee Christianson ..... November 11, 2014 ...... Acacia Lodge # 4
By R.W. Mark
Williamson, JGW
I had the unique
privilege of
attending the
Midwest
Conference of
Grand Lodges in
Madison WI on
August 15th – 17th
with MWGM
David Bickel and
RWDGM Tony Telken. It was an action
packed three nights and two days of meeting,
greeting and eating…not necessarily in that
order! While many great topics were covered
during the conference including a panel
discussion with younger masons about the
different paths that each has taken since being
raised a Master Mason and a tremendous
presentation about how to deal with issues in
the public media. I believe more will be
discussed on these topics at a later time. What
I want to cover in this article is what is
happening outside the State of North Dakota
in the great State of Texas.
The main focus of the Texas presentation
was about the Wardens Retreat (for all Jr. and
Sr. Wardens) to help prepare them for their
role as Master. Each participant is asked to
bring with them various tools at the lodge’s
disposal including a laptop computer. These
retreats usually start on Friday evening and
conclude be Sunday noon. They hold at least
5 retreats throughout the year and throughout
the state and are usually sold out. The
Information presented in these retreats
include: rules and regulation for a lodge, job
descriptions for officers, formation of
committees (Teams) and written
documentation for everything that has to be
done in a lodge. They have also created a
manual for each officer and committee
chairman that outlines duties, responsibilities
and important dates for use in each lodge.
These tools have been developed in order to
help the new officer’s transition into the new
office on the line without having to take time
or resources to learn the new duties and
responsibilities.
While it is not possible to summarize all
of the benefits derived from attending these
meetings, one of the main takeaways is the
empowerment the wardens have to take office
when they advance in the chairs. This is
evident in the membership statistics for Texas.
This program has been worked on for a
number of years and is now being looked at
being implemented in other jurisdictions
throughout the country.
Some Happenings outside of North Dakota
Support Masonic Charities.
By Arv Burvee, Grand Lecturer
Brothers, I would like to take this
opportunity to invite you to attend one of the
seven Masonic Festivals that are being
planned this year to bring Masonic ideas and
information with the goal of
helping our Lodges grow. The
Festivals are again being held in
lieu of the Schools of
Instructions and the District
Meetings. This year’s general
theme is “The Importance of
Achieving Public Awareness of
Freemasonry”.
We are utilizing 4 weekdays and 3
Saturdays to conduct the Festivals. The
Festivals on the weekdays will start with a
soup and sandwich supper at 5:30 with the
meeting to follow and the Saturday Festival
will start at 10:00, breaking for a soup and
sandwich lunch and then finishing by early
afternoon. A variety of topics will be
presented by a capable team of
knowledgeable and interesting Masonic
leaders. The Masonic Festivals are not tiled
and are open to every degree of Mason. Our
goal is to create a relaxed and
comfortable atmosphere
suitable not only for bringing,
but also exchanging items of
interest and information with
the involvement of our
Brothers.
So my Brothers, please make an effort to
come together with your Grand Master, MW
David Bickel and our team. Pick a Masonic
Festival to attend, load the car up with your
Brothers and make a road trip to join us for a
day or evening of Masonic education,
information and celebration!
How easy can it get!
2015 Masonic Festivals
Friday, January 23 – Rugby #65
Dakota Farms • Rugby - 5:30pm
Saturday, January 24 – West Gate #125 Tioga - 10:00am
Thursday, March 5 – Sheyenne Valley #12
Stake-Out • Lisbon - 5:30pm
Friday, March 6 – Chancellor Walworth #102
Steele -5:30pm
Saturday, March 7 – Dickinson #32
Elks Lodge • Dickinson - 10:00am
Friday, March 13 – Lebanon #34
Langdon - 5:30pm
Saturday, March 14 – Goose River #19
Mayville - 10:00am
Who’s Behind the Podcasts?
Elsewhere in this issue, you may have
noticed the article “Freemasonry in the
Bakken” along with some information about a
“podcast”. Following the article there is an
explanation of a podcast, but whose idea is
this?
Acting upon a desire to learn more about
Masonry, Robert W. Baer joined together with
Tyler Hall and Nolan Overton and the ideas
flew. After the brainstorming was done, it
was decided that a podcast on a variety of
Masonic topics would be the way to best
approach the growing population of Masons
in North Dakota.
While everyone within earshot is aware
that the Bakken means oil, it also means an
influx of new residents to our state. All three
of the men who developed the podcast idea
are, like so many Americans today, are
travelling men. Brother Hall from Nebraska
through Minneapolis and on to Dickinson.
Brother Overton from Montana and then to
Dickinson, and Brother Baer from
Pennsylvania through Utah and settling in
Dickinson.
As these men move about their
communities, they have noticed a large
number of Masonic symbols on vehicles with
out-of-state license plates. It seemed to them
that local area Masons ought to be reaching
out to these brothers and inviting them to
affiliate with a local area Lodge.
Being the new population increase in the
state is mostly younger people still in the
workforce, it makes perfectly good sense to
them to use the modern tool of
communications to reach these Brothers --
Internet and podcasts.
Congratulations to these Brothers and
thanks to them for their hard work. Let us all
hope their efforts bring success to Masonry in
the State. Thank you very much!
A group of Mandan Lodge # 8 members
operating as a crack Entered Apprentice
Degree Team made their way to Hazen to
conduct the EA Degree for new Brother
Masons from several Lodges. The five new
Entered Apprentices are now members of
Meridian Lodge # 116 of Hazen, Mandan
Lodge # 8, or Lewis and Clark Lodge # 132 of
Bismarck.
In attendance and helping wherever he
could, was Grand Master David Bickel.
Lodge # 116 served up some fine food to all
who attended just to make sure everyone left
the Lodge with good memories of a great time
of Masonic fellowship.
Rumor has it that this fine group of men
can be enticed to travel to your area to
conduct the EA Degree if there is a need.
And, speaking as a witness to their work, they
do a very fine job too!
Traveling Degree Team
You’re
Invited!